Photo-sharing app Instagram expands to the web

Instagram, the photo-sharing app that was created for mobile phones two years ago, is expanding to the web.

The service said in a blog post that it will be launching Instagram profiles on the web over the next few days. Previously, users' profiles existed only on Instagram's mobile applications accessed on iPhone or Android smartphones.

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"If your photos are set to public, anyone will be able to see your profile," said the company in a statement. "You do not have to be an Instagram user to view a public user’s profile on the web."

The layout of the web profiles is reminiscent of Facebook timelines, except with little text and no ads. This is not surprising given that earlier this year Facebook acquired Instagram for what was $US1 billion at the time.

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A rotating collage of users' Instagram shots forms a large, animated cover image at the top of the profile page, while the profile photo is on the right-hand side and other snapshots cascade down the page.

Users cannot upload photos from the web onto Instagram though, so for the time being the mobile apps remain at the core of the experience.

"Instagram is focused on the production of photos from mobile devices so users are not currently able to upload from the web," the company said.

Users can check if their profile is live by typing in instagram.com/username.